Appointment and Employment Procedures and Regulations

Appointment of full-time faculty will not ordinarily be made at the rank of Instructor. An earned doctoral degree in a related discipline is required for all faculty appointments to a tenure-track position in the department; postdoctoral experience is preferred.

This rank is intended for persons initially hired with an M.S. degree in Chemistry or an allied field. Normally, the Department does not hire at the rank of Instructor except for part-time and full-time non-tenure track (NTT) faculty positions whose duties are restricted to instructional laboratory supervision.

Promotion to this rank presumes prior service as an Assistant Professor and significant academic achievements; hire into this rank requires the documented establishment of an independent research program and significant scholarly achievements. All Faculty at this rank shall hold an earned doctorate in Chemistry or an allied field (See, Section III.B of this Handbook).

Promotion to this rank requires credentials and achievements beyond those required for promotion to Associate Professor. This promotion is reserved for senior faculty members who have achieved significant recognition in their discipline and shown significantleadership in Departmental and University service (See, Section III.B of this Handbook). The Department expects a continuously high level of service from all Faculty holding this rank.

These ranks are reserved for individuals who are engaged in research and who are not normally assigned teaching responsibilities. Such positions are typically supported by extramural grant funds and are not tenure-track appointments. Research Associates and Research Assistants do not vote on Department committees and do not participate in Department governance.

These appointments are held primarily by faculty from other institutions or persons on the staffs of community-based agencies and organizations. Adjunct Faculty appointments are made at the discretion of the Chair in consultation with the FAC. Adjunct Faculty members do not vote on Department Committees and do not participate in Department governance. Specific privileges of adjunct Faculty members are negotiable with the Department Chair and are detailed in a letter of appointment.

Dual credit instructors who are approved by the Department to teach Kent State Chemistry courses in the high-school setting shall meet the same standards as any adjunct faculty member. In keeping with state requirements, it is expected that high school teachers teaching Dual Enrollment courses in chemistry will hold at least a Master’s degree in Chemistry or Biochemistry (an MAT or other Master’s degree in teaching is not acceptable). Master’s degrees in other related fields must be approved by the Chair. Dual Enrollment instructors shall work in close cooperation with a Faculty member from the host campus; see section II.A.3 for the earned workload equivalence.

Visiting Faculty appointments at an appropriate faculty rank may be made when leaves of absence occur or special needs arise and funds are available. A visiting faculty member is typically a faculty member from another institution who is employed by the Department for a period not to exceed one (1) year. In the event that a Visiting Faculty member is employed in that capacity for a second consecutive year, the Visiting Faculty member will then become a full-time non-tenure track (NTT) Faculty member. Visiting Faculty members do not vote on Department Committees and do not participate in Department governance. Visiting Faculty may engage in research laboratory work only when sponsored by a regular Faculty member.

Full-time non-tenure track faculty (NTT) appointments are made on an annual basis (See, Section III.C of this Handbook). NTT appointments are not included under the umbrella of the University policy and procedures regarding Faculty tenure (See, University Policy Register 3342-6-14) and NTT faculty members are not entitled to any rights with regard to tenure. NTT faculty members who teach classroom lecture courses shall hold an earned doctorate in Chemistry or an allied field by the effective date of appointment.

When the Department cannot meet its teaching needs from the ranks of its full-time tenured and tenure-track Faculty, full-time non-tenure track (NTT) faculty and graduate students, part-time faculty appointments will be made from an established pool of qualified applicants not currently on regular appointment at the University. Appointees to part-time positions are selected by the Department Chair with the advice of the FAC and the Assistant Chair from the pool of applicants maintained by the Department.

Faculty involved in the graduate program are expected to present evidence of their endeavors as witnessed by publication, proposals submitted for extramural funding, and dissemination of research in various venues as appropriate to the discipline. Faculty are also expected to attend departmental colloquia and divisional seminars. Newly hired faculty on the Kent Campus shall be eligible for F4 status, and newly hired faculty on the regional campuses shall be eligible for F1 status; see below. Regional Campus faculty may apply at any time for increased graduate faculty status by submitting to the Coordinator of Graduate Studies (a) a current vita which details how the criteria have been met for increased graduate faculty status and (b) a memo requesting a review of graduate faculty status. The Administrative policy regarding graduate faculty is included in the University Policy Register. (See, University Policy Register 3342-6-15.1)

It is understood that Full (F) graduate faculty status is only available to Faculty having their primary appointment in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Kent State University; Associate (A) status is for graduate faculty having their primary appointments elsewhere.

A3/F3 status Faculty have the privileges of A1/F1 status and may direct master theses, may serve on doctoral committees, and may serve, with approval of the Chair, as a co-advisor for a doctoral dissertation.

F4 status Faculty have the privileges of A3/F3 status and may direct doctoral dissertations.

Membership Criteria: All new tenure track appointees will receive F4 status on entry with the presumption that they will be immediately engaged in scholarly research, and that they have met the criteria for this status as a basis for their appointment.

A1/F1 status requires a Ph.D. degree in Chemistry or a closely related science and must have published two papers (or two book chapters, or one monograph, or one book, or one paper and one substantive grant proposal to an extra mural agency) in refereed journals within the preceding five years.

A3/F3 status requires A1/F1 criteria plus one grant proposal submitted (or funding from such) to a national agency within the past five years.

F4 status requires A3/F3 criteria plus four (4) additional grant proposals submitted to an extramural agency (or additional funding of $150,000 from external sources after adjustment for percent collaboration as shown in the KSU transmittal form) within the past five years, plus 3 additional refereed papers or book chapters (or one monograph or one book, or demonstration of exceptional publication quality within a substantial body of scholarship).

Specific circumstances might prevent a faculty member to reach these metrics and the decision may be appealed to the graduate committee. The graduate committee will review the appeal and will take these circumstances into consideration when making its final recommendation.

The Department supports the goals of equal opportunity and affirmative action in recruiting and in making appointments to the Faculty. Search Committees are appointed by the Chair after consultation with the FAC and faculty members in the specific area(s) or discipline(s). The search committee solicits applications and recommends to the Chair a slate of candidates to be invited to campus for an interview. Search committees will survey student perceptions of faculty candidates as part of the interview process. The search committee will solicit recommendations regarding the candidates from the Faculty, and selection of the candidate recommended to the Chair for appointment to the Faculty is by majority vote of the tenured and tenure-track Faculty. The search committee may also recommend its choice of candidate, if different, to the Chair. Recommendations are advisory to the Chair, who then makes a recommendation to the Dean. If the Dean concurs with the Chair, a recommendation is forwarded to the Office of the Provost. If the Chair's recommendation is different than that of the search committee and the faculty, the Chair shall inform the Dean of all recommendations and the reasons for the disagreement.